


Gravity Rises: The Dip That Rocks the Boat [Episode Two]

by BrightnessWings19



Series: Gravity Rises Season One [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gravity Rises, Episode Two, Gen, Sorophora, slightly different interpretation of Gravity Rises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 00:05:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7867012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightnessWings19/pseuds/BrightnessWings19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Dipper and Mabel wanted was a bit of entertainment, but when they go to the Tent of Telepathy and meet town darling Pacifica Pleasure, they get a lot more than they bargained for.</p><p>[Parallel to: The Hand That Rocks the Mabel]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Gravity Rises AU originally created by Sorophora. While I did not create these characters, I have put some of my own details and twists into this series and therefore consider this work (but not the AU) my own.
> 
> Work originally posted on Wattpad.
> 
> When commenting on this work, please do not swear.

“Watcha readin’, Robbie? It looks like the newspaper. Aren’t newspapers usually really boring? Ooh, unless you’re reading the funnies. Are you reading the funnies?”

Robbie chuckled at Dipper’s sudden and heavy flow of words. “As a matter of fact, I am,” he replied. Want ‘em when I’m done?”

“Sure! Hey, I guess your newspaper won’t have the same funnies as mine back home, huh? That’s such a weird thought. I still wanna read them, though.”

Dipper jumped onto the checkout counter, trying to catch glimpses of what Robbie was reading until a dragging sound behind him distracted him. He turned around to see Mabel trudging aimlessly through the Mystery Museum.

“Hey Mabes! Watcha doing?”

Mabel grunted. “Being bored. What’s going on over here?”

“’Bout the same thing,” Robbie replied, flipping a page in the newspaper.

“What kind of things can you do around this town, then?” Dipper asked Robbie. Before the teen could answer, Dipper leaned backwards so his head was hanging upside down off the checkout counter. “Or we could go for a monster hunt,” he said to Mabel.

Mabel shook her head. She didn’t want to do anything rash until she’d had more time to study her Journal. Plus, Dipper was still confused as to why she didn’t want to tell Ford she had it, and she didn’t want to try to explain should he bring the topic up. She wasn’t exactly sure, she just…She didn’t want to tell Ford. Not yet.

“Hey, what’s that?” Dipper asked, jabbing at a picture on the front of the newspaper.

Robbie turned the paper around so he could see Dipper was pointing to. Then he frowned and read aloud, “’Tent o’ Telepathy: Grand Opening.’”

Mabel looked up, her attention piqued. “Tent o’ Telepathy?” She repeated.

“Sounds fun!” Dipper said, taking the paper from Robbie, who handed it over with a shrug. “Ooh, it’s a psychic show, Mabel! Do you think it’s real?”

“Of course it isn’t,” Robbie said, turning back to his cash register. “Those things are always fake. They put plants in the audience to get information from them beforehand.”

Dipper’s brow creased in confusion. “How would plants get information?”

Mabel covered a smile. “People, Dipper, that work for the psychic. Those type of plants.”

“Oh! Well, I still think we should go anyway. Should be fun. Have you ever heard of it before, Robbie?”

“Nope,” Robbie replied, popping the P. “Heads up, tourists at nine o’clock. Off the counter, Dipper.”

Dipper slid off with an “okay!”, the newspaper still in his grasp. “’Child psychic Pacifica Pleasure here to mystify the locals of Gravity Rises,’” he read aloud as he and Mabel left Robbie alone to run the gift shop. “Wow, look at her, Mabel.” He turned the paper to show Mabel a girl about their age clad with purple and black with the biggest, blondest hair Mabel had ever seen. She was winking up at the camera with a dazzling smile on her face.

Something about her gave Mabel chills.

“That would be so cool to be a child psychic. We should totally go see the show. Let’s go ask Ford!”

~~~~~

“No.”

“But, Grunkle Ford!”

“No,” Ford repeated sternly. “Psychics are all fake, and if I know Bud Pleasure, his daughter is doubly fake. And if there’s anything worse than fooling around with the supernatural, it’s believing in the _fake_ supernatural.” As he talked, he spread mayo over a piece of bread for a sandwich.

“Come on, Grunkle Ford, it’s just entertainment,” Mabel said. She didn’t particularly want to go to the Tent o’ Telepathy, but now that Ford expressly forbid it, she was determined. Was this what being a teenager felt like?

“There are plenty of other things around here to keep you entertained.”

“Like what?” Dipper asked, sounding genuinely curious underneath his annoyance.

“Like…” Ford paused, hand hovering over his half-made sandwich, and then grunted. “I’m not in charge of your entertainment.”

“Okay, then let us go to the psychic show!”

“I am not paying for you to go ooh and ahh over some prissied-up girl with fake powers,” Ford said firmly. “That’s final.”

Mabel and Dipper watched him go, taking the sandwich he’d just made with him. Dipper took a bite of his own sandwich and swallowed before saying, “What if he’s not the one paying for it?”

Mabel had to stare at him for a moment before what he said clicked. “Dipper, did you just find a loophole?”

“I think I did,” Dipper said smugly.

The effect was ruined a bit by the mustard spot on his face, though.


	2. Chapter 2

The Grand Opening of the Tent o’ Telepathy was hardly the biggest event Mabel had ever seen, but she could guess it was the biggest this town had.

The line to get in extended through the trees; nobody seemed to mind standing around in snow. Luckily, Mabel and Dipper were far enough along to stand on a cleared pathway. The two had yet to get used to the sheer amount of snow here in Gravity Rises. Melody, their benefactor for the evening, chatted easily with the townsfolk around her, smiling and laughing as she kept an eye on the Tent door.

The tent itself was a sight to behold. Made solely of purple cloth, it rose up into the air and fastened under a purple, wooden, peaked roof, from which two black posts descended and framed the doorway. Atop the roof, held up by a firm pole, a white crescent moon shone down on the crowd with an eye staring out from its center. The late evening sun shone right on the moon, making it appear to glow, although it seemed to be wooden on second glance. The tent was held down by six thick posts forming a hexagon that looked like they could weather any storm the valley threw at them.

“You sure you don’t mind taking us, Melody?” Mabel asked. She felt somewhat guilty for asking Melody to pay for their attendance at the Tent, but the handywoman had seemed willing.

“Not at all,” Melody replied with a grin. “I was meaning to come down myself sometime, and now I get to see the grand openin’!”

A cheer suddenly rose up around them: the Tent was opening. Large purple swaths drew back to reveal the light pouring from inside. Mabel tried to make out exactly what was inside, but she was blocked by the crowd of adults, all taller than her.

The line started to move, quickly picking up speed as people paid a congenial Bud Pleasure at the door and filed into the Tent. When Mabel, Dipper, and Melody made it to the door, Melody cheerfully paid the entry fee for all three of them. Dipper raced ahead to find good seats, and Mabel followed at a slower pace, drinking it all in.

The inside of the Tent wasn’t as glorified as the exterior. Rows of folding chairs sat looking up at a simple wooden stage, the Crescent Eye symbol painted on the wall behind. The single aisle between the chairs was broken up by a tall, central pole that held up the tent from inside, speakers fixed near the top.

“Over here!” Dipper called. He’d found three chairs on the edge of the row by the aisle on the second row. Mabel sat next to him; he’d gotten a good view.

It took a good fifteen minutes for the crowd to get settled and fill the tent with chatter. Dipper turned to his automatic reliever of boredom: talking. While he and Melody chatted, Mabel watched all the people, looking for someone with a Memory-worthy appearance, outfit, or posture.

Then the lights went out.

~~~~~  

Pacifica stood in the wings, running her gloved hands across her starched skirt. Time to put on a show.

That’s what she did best.

She ran her fingers over the smooth surface of her pendant. She had all the workings of a typical psychic show: plants in the audience, microphones planted throughout the line and the Tent itself. It was easy to be a psychic without actually having powers.

But Pacifica _did_ have powers.

She hardly needed to use them in a set-up like this, especially in such a small town where most people had probably never seen a psychic show. She didn’t rely on her amulet, not to put on a good show. Still, it gave her a great edge, and every once in a while she would search the mind of an unsuspecting patron to reveal a secret they never thought they’d told a soul. And they hadn’t. But that didn’t stop her.

A deep breath. Straightening her shawl. Plumping up her hair.

Let’s go.

The lights outside went out. Pacifica hurried to the center of the stage as silently as possible and struck a dramatic pose.

A spotlight snapped on. Pacifica made sure to stare beneath it so she didn’t flinch, a trick she’d mastered years ago.

The crowd cheered. Some of them looked completely baffled that she’d “appeared” on the stage. Idiots.

“Welcome, visitors,” Pacifica said, her best mystical voice on, merely a hint of her Southern accent beneath her voice, “to another world.”

The audience was silent, hanging on her every word.

“A world where thoughts are no longer confined inside human minds. A world where our mental energy is entwined.” As she spoke, she mentally activated her amulet. The world of which she spoke _snapped_ into view. Everything in the physical world turned grey. Purple smoke curled up from the heads of her audience, forming into shapes and words of various colors, all ringed with the signature purple. Only Pacifica could see this world. It was hers, and hers alone.

“Clear your minds of inhibitions,” she directed from her stage, sweeping her arm out over the crowd. “Let your thoughts flow freely through the air.” She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. She knew without looking that the purple smoke was being drawn in by her breath; the thoughts of her audience drawn in by her mind. “I will receive you,” she said, her eyes still closed. “Allow me to walk among your thoughts.”

Her eyes snapped open with such force that a few of the audience members flinched. She lets her eyes roam the crowd until they locked on a random audience member.

 _“Lazy Susan, owns the local diner,”_ her headset buzzed. _“Has had her lazy eye for thirty years.”_

Pacifica, of course, could see all this and more, floating around Lazy Susan’s head in puffs of purple smoke. A scene depicting a small device shocking her eye as she bent down to inspect it, secret recipes pinwheeling through the air. Susan stared up at Pacifica through the purple smoke, her lazy eye covered by a heavy blue eyeshadow.

“Thirty years is a long time to be half blind,” Pacifica said sympathetically. “You’re quite the trooper.”

Lazy Susan’s good eye widened. “That’s amazing!” She exclaimed. Ugh, what was wrong with her _voice_?

But Pacifica had already moved on to another unsuspecting patron. “Tad Strange? What a name for such a normal…”

She stopped.

What was _that_?

Two rows in front of Tad. Two kids, about her age, staring innocently up at her.

No smoke.

Pacifica peered down at them, trying to make something, anything, out.

Nothing.

Wait! She recognized those two! They were the ones who tangled up with the fairies the other day. What were their names?

Mabel and Dipper. Such stupid names. But more importantly than that, she couldn’t read them. She pushed harder. Nothing. No purple smoke, no floating thoughts. They were impenetrable.

_Why?_

Focus, Pacifica. She’d already been silent for several seconds. She flicked her eyes back up to Tad Strange. “Sorry,” she said, “a disturbance in the ether, it momentarily shorted out my power. As I was saying…”

The show must go on. Figure out the enigma twins later.

Pacifica continued the show with no more hiccups. She was flawless at covering up feelings of frustration or anger with an adorable smile and a secretive wink.

But those twins, those smokeless, greyscale twins. They stayed in her periphery for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Mabel peeked around the Tent of Telepathy, shivering as she tried to see through the night. She’d better hurry before the intermission was over. Where might she find a bathroom…?

A sudden slam made her jump and whirl around to see a sliver of light not too far from her. A door was opening, and someone was exiting through the back of the Tent. Mabel peered at the shadowy figure.

Pacifica?

She couldn’t make out any features, but the figure was definitely the height and shape of the psychic, with her big round skirt and even bigger hairdo. Mabel felt a strange urge to hide and watch what the girl might do.

Pacifica took a deep breath. Maybe she was just taking a break, then, breathing in the fresh night air? But no, she seemed to be muttering something to herself now. Without thinking, Mabel took a step closer to hear.

Her foot crunched in the snow.

Pacifica looked up. Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward so Mabel could see her face in the light spilling from the tent.

“Come to mock me, little girl?” She demanded. Mabel flinched; the voice was nothing like Pacifica’s lilting Southern accent. It was harsh, and definitely didn’t sound like anyone Mabel wanted to run into outside at night. Which she had.

“N-no, I don’t know what you mean,” Mabel stuttered. “I—”

“You don’t _know_ what I _mean_?” Pacifica repeated. Her voice grew a little bit more hysteric with every word. “Liar! You can’t just shut me out without even knowing about it!” She started to advance on Mabel, who stepped back. “No, no, you know,” she hissed. “Yet you sit there all innocent-like while I—”

She stopped. Maybe she saw the growing look of fear on Mabel’s face, or maybe it was something else. The almost-insane Pacifica before Mabel shrunk back until she had a dazzling smile on her face. “Why I’m so sorry,” she said, her Southern accent stronger than ever. “I don’t know what came over me. Patrons aren’t allowed back here, darlin’, I’m afraid.”

Mabel stared at her for a moment. It was like talking to a completely different person. What had just happened? “U-um, sorry, I was just looking for the bathroom.”

“There’s a portable outhouse on the other side of the tent,” Pacifica said sweetly. “Thanks for coming to the show.”

“Th-thanks,” Mabel replied, hurrying in that direction.

Okay, she was thoroughly spooked. What was  really going on with that girl? She didn’t seem very…stable.

Once the show resumed, Mabel found herself unable to focus on anything but Pacifica’s purple-lidded eyes. Something was going on behind there that _nobody_ could comprehend.

~~~~~

“I feel like such a rebel,” Dipper whispered. Well, in his version of a whisper.

“What’s that?” Melody asked.

Mabel nudged Dipper in the side. “Quiet, Dipper!” She hissed. The three were walking home together after the psychic show.

Melody suddenly laughed. “I know Mr. Pines told you kids not to come to the show,” she said, not breaking stride. Mabel watched the snow at her feet as they walked, chagrined.

“But I also think you kids have the right to have some fun,” Melody continued. “That ol’ geezer doesn’t seem to remember what fun is most of the time. So I thought I’d cut you some slack and let you tag along.”

“Th-thanks,” Mabel stammered. She was shocked; Melody had yet expressed no knowledge that the twins had been previously forbidden to go to the show.

“Sure,” Melody said easily, swinging her arms a bit as she walked. “If you ask me, though, the show was a bit too dramatic for my taste.”

Mabel laughed quietly. “Yeah, a little bit,” she admitted.

“I thought it was awesome!” Dipper exclaimed. “I really believed she was psychic for a moment in there. She really made it seem real. And didn’t you notice? She stared right at us! She stopped talking and just stared at us and then moved on! It was really weird, don’t you think? I mean, she didn’t even read our minds or anything, just look at us and then go back to her show.”

Mabel didn’t say anything. She definitely had noticed; it had freaked her out. And that was before the…incident during intermission. Did that have something to do with the staring beforehand?

“I think it’s so awesome that someone our age can be so famous. I wonder how she did it, especially since she was born in this tiny town. No offense, Melody.”

“None taken,” Melody replied with a smile. “It takes a lot to get this place noticed. Pacifica left to go get famous years ago, though. Rumor is her own parents haven’t seen her since she was eight years old.”

Dipper was silent for a heartbeat. “That’s really sad,” he said. “I hope they’re happy that they’re together now.”

Melody shrugged. “I dunno, bud. Being famous does things to your head.”

“What do you mean?”

“You forget the things and the people that are really important to you. All that matters is putting on a good show. You forget how to be…real.”

“Do you know from experience, Melody?” Mabel asked, her voice soft.

“Nope,” Melody replied with a shake of her head. “But I see it happenin’ the whole world over.”

The Mystery Museum was in view, and Dipper broke away to run inside. Mabel and Melody, however, kept ambling along in silence until they reached the back porch.

“Hey, thanks for joining me, Mabes,” Melody said. Usually Dipper was the only one to call Mabel by that nickname, but Melody had picked it up quickly in the week or so the twins had been in town.

“Thanks for taking us,” Mabel replied. “’Night,” she said as she opened the door.

“G’night.” Melody waved the girl off and then turned to go home.

Mabel leaned against the door for a moment after she entered the Museum, eyes closed.

“Was it worth it?” A gruff voice asked.

Mabel’s eyes snapped open to see Ford standing in front of her, arms crossed.

Mabel started to stammer something out at her Great Uncle, but she stopped herself and took a breath. “I don’t know, Grunkle Ford,” she said simply. “Good night.”

She tried to pretend she couldn’t feel his eyes boring a hole in her back as she climbed up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Dipper fell over backwards on the couch, legs hooked over the back, so that he had a perfect, upside-down view of the TV.

“Doesn’t that make you feel sick?” Mabel asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Nope. It’s fun!”

Mabel rolled her eyes with a smile and turned back to the TV, flicking through channels with the remote. “Does this place have _anything_ good?” She asked.

“I like the commercials,” Dipper replied. “They’re absolutely re-donk-culus.”

“That’s not a word, Dip.”

“But it’s fun to say.”

A knock on the door sounded, and both the twins perked up. “I got it!” Dipper said, rolling off the couch with an undignified summer-salt. Mabel winced at the sound of him hitting the ground, but he didn’t seem affected.

Mabel stood up as Dipper rushed to the door, curious as to who was there. It was some kind of private house call; that was the only reason to use this particular entrance to the Mystery Museum.

“Hey there,” said a voice with a Southern drawl. “You’re Dipper, right?”

_Pacifica?_

Mabel looked past her brother at the child psychic standing on the porch. What was she doing here?

“Y-yeah, I’m Dipper. And you’re Pacifica,” Dipper blurted.

Pacifica giggled. “Yes, that I am. Dipper, I saw you last night at my show, and something about you, I just…I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

Dipper blinked. “O-oh,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Oh, what an enchanting laugh,” Pacifica said, batting her eyelashes. “When I saw you in the audience, I said to myself, ‘Now there's a kindred spirit! Someone who appreciates the mysterious things in life.’"

Mabel thought she was going to be sick. Was this girl _seducing_ her brother? Was Mabel using that word right?

“Yeah,” Dipper said, perking up a bit. “Yeah, I love mysteries! My sister and I—”

“That’s so great,” Pacifica interrupted him. “I’m so happy you chose to share that love with me in the Tent o’ Telepathy last night.”

“Who’s at the door?” Grunkle Ford called from the other room.

“Uh, no one, Grunkle Ford!” Dipper called. He turned back to Pacifica. “He, uh, didn’t want us going to your show.”

Pacifica assumed a look of surprise. “Why ever not?”

Dipper shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe he doesn’t want competition.”

“Hmm, maybe not. What do you say we step away from here and chat a bit more? Perhaps in my dressing room?”

“Oh! Sure!” Dipper said. “That sounds fun!”

Mabel did not like this at all. Could you say déjà vu?

She was about to step up and say something, but her brother was already gone.

~~~~~

“So do you have like one of those tanks of water that you get locked into and then you have to get yourself out?”

Pacifica let out a high-pitched laugh. “Like Houdini? No. My abilities lie solely in the realm of the mind.” As she spoke, she activated her amulet at a low level, hoping that whatever happened last night was a fluke.

The world turned grey, and no purple smoke appeared around Dipper. Not even one tendril.

What on _earth_ was going on?

“Oh. That’s still cool, though.” Dipper was situated on a spinning stool, swinging his legs and every once in a while sending himself spinning nauseatingly around. “Although my friend Robbie said it’s all fake. Is it?”

Great. How was she supposed to answer? Of course it wasn’t fake, but it wouldn’t help anything to let Dipper in on the truth. “A psychic never reveals her secrets,” Pacifica replied with a wink.

“I thought it was ‘A magician.’”

Pacifica shrugged. “It applies to psychics too,” she said with a small smile. She had to admit, Dipper was kind of cute. In an imbecilic, annoying way. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like smiling when she glanced back at him—a real smile, something she rarely ever gave anyone.

Then she would activate her amulet enough to see his purple-less state in the Mindscape, and all her anxiety would come back.

She wasn’t sure exactly what it was that made it so imperative that she read him. She’d been reading everyone for _years_. It had become compulsive for her to activate the Mindscape every time she had a conversation with anyone to get insight into the thoughts behind their words. She kept instinctively looking into Dipper’s mind just to be shut out again and again by whatever made him immune. It was driving her _crazy_.

There was only one other person she’d ever met that she couldn’t penetrate.

“You have a _lot_ of hair products,” Dipper was saying, touching the row of bottles that was organized by height on her vanity. “I guess that makes sense, though. Hey, is it hard being famous? Or just really, really awesome?”

Pacifica shrugged. “You get used to it after a couple of years. It’s really busy, but totally worth it. Uh, don’t touch that, please.”

Dipper pulled his hand back from her perfume. Ugh, this was going _nowhere_. She’d brought Dipper here to try to figure out why she couldn’t read him, but all she was getting was more frustration and questions. Time to get out of this.

She made a show of looking up at the digital clock sitting on a table. “Oh my! Would you look at that time! I’m so sorry, Dipper, but I forgot I had an appointment with my make-up artist right now.” It was the same excuse she had used with her parents last time. She was getting sloppy. “I’m going to have to ask you to go…I’m really sorry,” she repeated, arranging her face into an apologetic expression.

“O-oh, okay,” Dipper said, hopping to his feet. “We should hang out again sometime. I had a lot of fun!”

Pacifica smiled wide. “Yes, we definitely should.” No, they most definitely should _not_.

Dipper had a spring in his step as he made his way to her trailer door. “See ya later, then. Bye, Pacifica!”

“Bye-bye now,” she replied, keeping her smile on until the door closed behind him. The smile dropped and she turned around in her chair and propped herself up on her vanity with her elbows, massaging her forehead. That was exhausting. Not having access to this random kid’s mind somehow drained her energy.

She needed to contact Gideon, she knew. He was the only person she couldn’t read, and, reciprocally, she was the only person he couldn’t read. They both assumed it was because both of them had near-identical amulets, but now…

Ugh, she didn’t _want_ to contact Gideon. He was a rich jerk who found the entertainment business beneath him and his family. The two of them had never really gotten along well. But enlisting his help could be the only way to figure this out.

She could imagine him now. _“You need_ my _help? What happened to Miss Independent Psychic?”_ Followed by a smug smile.

Ugh.

No, she wouldn’t go to Gideon. She could figure this out by herself.

Whatever _this_ was in the first place.


	5. Chapter 5

Mabel sat down on the couch with a _plop_ and a long sigh, letting her body relax into the old, plush furniture. She’d _finally_ been released after being volunteered to help out with the Hall of Mirrors. Three hours of helping Melody position them all just right while Ford stood on the balcony above and directed them, incredibly nit-picky yet somehow bored, like telling them how to do this was a waste of his time. Finally, Ford declared the Hall of Mirrors “good enough,” muttered something about research to do, and left.

Mabel pulled out her Journal from under the couch cushion and flipped it open. She could hardly believe Ford wrote this. He was always doing research, sure, and he openly affirmed the existence of the supernatural, but he seemed too…uncaring to write something this amazing. There were detailed pictures on every page, shadows drawn out with carbon strokes. The information on each supernatural object or creature was thorough, almost excessive. Like Ford had spent days or even weeks on each entry. The man Mabel was staying with for the winter seemed to have none of that motivation.

Mabel shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts and focus what was actually on the page in front of her. Psychics. Right. She was looking for any entry that had to do with telepathy or other mind powers.

“Hey Mabel!”

Mabel yelped and hit her head against the back of the couch as she started. “Dipper!” she exclaimed, turning around to see him behind the couch. He would’ve had to sneak into the living room, worm his way back there, and then jump up and scare her. Why did he like to do that?!

Dipper was grinning. “Sorry, Mabes.” He didn’t look apologetic at all.

“Where have you been?” Mabel demanded, closing the Journal but marking her spot with her thumb. Dipper had conveniently disappeared minutes before the Hall of Mirrors project began. She frowned. “And what happened to your hair?”

Dipper launched himself over the back of the couch and landed hard, right next to Mabel, sending a dust cloud into the air. His hair was spiked, sticking up in all directions, like he’d licked an electric socket—which he had done before. Were the tips of his hair dyed? They were an electric blue now. A dark blue scarf he didn’t have this morning was wrapped around his neck, slightly obscuring the yellow star on his shirt. The t-shirt, a lighter shade of blue, was layered over a yellow long-sleeve shirt and contrasted nicely with the scarf.

Dipper waited for Mabel to look him up and down before launching into an explanation. “Pacifica calls it the Power of Hairspray. Don’t I look awesome?! She gave me the scarf too, which not only is really warm but looks really cool too; at least, I think so. Oh, and don’t worry, the color in my hair is just chalk. Should be gone in a couple days. I’d never heard of hair chalk before! Pacifica has all sorts of cool things for having such a tiny trailer to live in. She’s really awesome, Mabes.”

Mabel blinked. “So wait. You were hanging out with Pacifica, the creepy psychic child—”   

“She’s not creepy!”

“—and she gave you a make-over?”

Dipper wrinkled his nose. “Make-over is such a girly word. ‘She made me look awesome’ sounds better.”

“Sure. Dipper, are you sure you can trust her?”

“She’s not a group of fairies, Mabel,” Dipper said, rolling his eyes. “Or a gorgon. She might be a real psychic, though. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

“She hasn’t been reading your mind, has she?” Mabel asked, not sure whether her voice was sarcastic or fearful.

“No, she doesn’t talk about it a lot. Whenever I ask her questions about it she gives me a short answer and then moves on to another topic. I thought I saw her eye twitch a little bit once. I might be annoying her, but then why would she keep inviting me over?”

“Wait, Dipper.” Mabel held up a hand. “How many times have you hung out with Pacifica?”

“Um…When did we go see her psychic show?”

Mabel took a moment to remember. “Four and a half days ago.”

“Four times, then. You know, it’s weird, now that I think about it, I do seem to really annoy her sometimes. You know, the way I do a lot of people. But she’s always the one inviting me over and acting all nice and, you know, doing this.” He touched the spiked ends of his hair, which didn’t move at his touch. How stiff were they? “It’s kinda weird, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Mabel said, not really paying attention. She was flipping through her journal, trying to find the word “psychic” or “telepathy” or “mind powers” without much luck.

“She said she’s going to show me her favorite view in the world tomorrow,” Dipper continued. “She can’t hang out for long ‘cause she always has at least one show a day, but she says she rarely gets to have fun with people like me. Whatcha lookin’ for?”

Mabel let out a frustrated growl and flipped a page. “I wish this thing had a table of contents. I can’t find anything about mind powers except this one page about some kind of dream triangle thing.”

“We could ask Grunkle Ford.”

“No,” Mabel said immediately. “And besides, he already said Pacifica was a fake anyway, remember?” She mustered up her best Ford impression. “’If there’s anything worse than fooling around with the supernatural, it’s believing in the _fake_ supernatural.’”

Dipper giggled. “That was really good.”

“No talking to Ford, okay? I still don’t want him to know I have this.” She clutched the Journal a little tighter. “And Dipper…”

She sighed. “I know we’ve already agreed that I’m paranoid, but just…be careful, okay? If Pacifica really does have powers, she could really hurt you. And if she doesn’t, then…she could still be dangerous. I don’t trust anyone whose hair is bigger than their head.” She cracked a smile, meaning the last part as a joke, but it didn’t come out quite right.

Dipper nodded, the tips of his hair quivering as he moved. “Alright, Mabes, I’ll humor you. But you should come hang out with us sometime. It would be fun!”

“Maybe,” Mabel replied. The thought of voluntarily spending time with Fake-Face Pacifica was _not_ an appealing one.

“Hey, I have an idea!” Dipper suddenly said, in his let’s-change-the-subject voice. “How about instead of reading about magical creatures, we go _look_ for some! Doesn’t that sound fun?” He poked Mabel in the side for emphasis.

“Ow, Dipper!” Mabel protested, but she was smiling. “Alright, fine. Let’s get out of here before Grunkle Ford finds us and puts us to work.”

And so, minds temporarily diverted, the twins set out to go looking for adventure.


	6. Chapter 6

Pacifica’s long nails scratched the glass ball as her fingers tightened around it, making an ugly noise she hardly noticed. “’I don’t trust anyone whose hair is bigger than their head,’” she repeated mockingly, glaring at the figure of Mabel in the glass ball. What a horrible girl. How could someone as adorable as Dipper be related to a girl like _that?_

Pacifica turned away from the crystal ball with a sigh. Dipper really had grown on her these past few days. He was endearing and cute and only sometimes annoying. And he actually appreciated fashion, if in a rather…male way.

She still couldn’t penetrate his mind. Every time she tried she got just a little bit more frustrated, but somehow she couldn’t stop herself from continuing to invite Dipper over. She wasn’t sure if it was affection for him or obsession with this problem or something else entirely. Maybe even…loneliness?

Nope. Not that one.

She glanced back at her newly-acquired crystal ball to see the twins plodding through the snow, Mabel looking down into that book of hers and Dipper saying something inaudible. “I hope you realize how hard it was to get this,” she said to no one in particular, though her eyes were on Dipper. It had _not_ been pleasant, but she had thought it necessary at the time. If she couldn’t get into the minds of those twins with her usual powers, she would have to resort to other methods of keeping tabs on them.

There had been a bit, though, where she wasn’t sure if it was worth it.

Her crystal ball suddenly clouded with purple smoke, obscuring the twins. “Hey!” Pacifica exclaimed, tapping on the ball with a nail. “What’s—” She stopped. Another scene was forming inside the glass.

Pacifica groaned.

The crystal ball was showing her recent memories of obtaining it.

“And what’s this for?” Pacifica demanded.

The ball made no response. But inside, the scene began to play.

~~~~~

"Augh! This stupid—mud—is ruining—my shoes!" Pacifica pulled her foot up with a frustrated growl and attempted to find a sturdy place to step.

Her foot sank into more mud.

Pacifica let out a long and frustrated yell. _Why_ wasn't her astral projection _working_ in this area?! Or was it even the part of the forest she was in? Maybe her powers were slipping away, first with the Pines twins being impenetrable and now with her astral projection refusing to form and save her the trouble of walking through all this mud.

No. No, it was just this area of the forest. It had to be.

Pacifica took another arduous step.

"Well, this is a sight I never expected to see. Pacifica Pleasure, trudging through the mud."

Pacifica stopped, sinking a bit deeper. Ugh, please _no._

Her eyes followed the sound of the voice. "Oh look," she said, "Gideon Northwest, being a brat."

Gideon was perched on a rock, looking smugly down at her. It didn't help that his rock was just above the cave entrance she was trying to reach. "Looking for something, Pleasure?"

"No," Pacifica replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, "no, I just find it enjoyable to ruin my shoes in this horrible mud."

Gideon ignored her scathing tone. "You've got some mud on your perfect dress too."

Pacifica growled under her breath. "Good thing I can't possibly look as stupid as you in that cape of yours."

Gideon let out a "hmph" of wounded dignity and jumped down from his rock. A flash of blue swirled around him as his amulet slowed his fall, the white cape to which Pacifica was referring fluttering around him. "You mean," he said as he regained his footing on another ledge of stone, "you can't possibly look as amazing."

"Hey!" Pacifica demanded. "Why is your amulet working out here, Northwest? I'd be using my astral projection if I could!"

"I'm just outside the cave boundaries," Gideon replied. "I can't get in from here, so I can use my amulet. But since you're actually trying to get inside, you can't. Couldn't tell you why there's a no-magic zone in the first place, though. What are you looking for in there, anyway?"

It was the cave where she'd found her amulet, so many years ago. And where she'd met Gideon. Pacifica could still remember her outrage when she'd discovered another child with her power.

"None of your business. Go look down your nose at someone worthy of it."

"I was here first. But this spot is ruined now you're here. I'll go find somewhere better. Enjoy your mud!" He launched himself off his ledge in a swirling flash of blue.

"Somewhere better to do what, pose for a medieval portrait?" Pacifica shouted after him. It was a weaker retort, but he probably didn't hear her.

Stupid brat.

She turned back to the task at hand: getting into that cave. There had _better_ be a crystal ball in there, or she was going to be _very_ annoyed.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Dipper could see the entire town.

It was freezing, but totally worth it.

He let out a contented sigh and sat back on his section of roof, looking out over the world. It was times like these that even he didn’t have anything to say. The view before him was just so breathtaking. Pacifica’s family warehouse was situated on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the whole Gravity Rises valley. Small houses littered the landscape below, poking up through a thin grey layer of clouds. Dipper couldn’t even see the people.

“I feel like queen of everything up here,” Pacifica said from beside him, her Southern accent sounding a bit shy. “I-I’m sorry if you’re cold, but I wanted to show you.”

“No, it’s awesome!” Dipper exclaimed, trying not to shiver. He was cold, but it was worth it. “It looks so amazing. If you’re queen, does that make me king?” Nice, Dipper. Nice one.

Pacifica giggled. “I suppose it does,” she replied, eyelashes sweeping as she blinked.

“Hey, what’s that big house over there?” Dipper asked, pointing. A structure almost like a mansion was perched on a hill overlooking the town, but not as high up as he.

“Oh, that? That’s the Northwest mansion. They’re just prissy rich people.” Pacifica waved a dismissive hand. “You know, Dipper, I’ve never shown this to anybody.”

“Really? I can think of a lot of people who’d really like to see it.”

Pacifica giggled again. “That’s not the point, silly.”

Aw dang it, he’d missed her being flirty again. Time to play it off. “I knew that, I was just teasing. Pacifica, do you want…” C’mon, Dipper, you can do this. “I mean, if you have time, do you maybe want…To…Go out sometime? Like on a date?”

He said it. Phew!

“Isn’t that what this is?” Pacifica asked. “I mean, not officially, but we are spending an awful lot of time together.” She punctuated the words with a smile.

Dipper smiled back. “I know, but I mean officially. We could, I dunno, go grab something to eat sometime. I-I mean if you don’t have a show then. I-I mean if there isn’t really a time that you can—”

Pacifica cut him off with a giggle. “I’d love to, Dipper. You’re adorable when you’re flustered, you know that?”

Dipper grinned. “I’m always adorable.”

That didn’t sound too prideful, did it? Nah, he was good. She’d said yes, after all.

Smooth, Dipper. Smoooooth.

~~~~~

“Hey, Mabel.”

Mabel immediately moved her hand to cover what she’d been sketching. “Oh, h-hey, Robbie. What is it?” She shifted her arm awkwardly, trying to cover up as much of the unfinished drawing as possible without being obvious.

“I just was wondering if you knew about this.” Robbie turned the newspaper he was holding so Mabel could see.

Mabel stared for a long moment.

“Quick question,” she finally said, not taking her eyes off the newspaper. “Why on earth would my little brother’s love life be in the local newspaper?”

Robbie chuckled. “This town doesn’t get much news,” he replied. “’Little brother’? Aren’t you twins?”

Mabel stood up, closing her sketchbook as she did. “He’s my little brother when he’s gotten himself into messes like this,” she declared, marching out of the gift shop. “Thanks for showing me, Robbie,” she called over her shoulder.

“’Perfect Pacifica with Peppy Pines,’” she muttered under her breath as she stalked off. “What kind of lame headlines is that?”

She shook her head. “So help me, when I find Dipper he’s gonna think twice about going on a date with—”

Pacifica’s flirtatious giggle filled the air.

Mabel groaned.

“Oh, Dipper, it’s on the house, honestly! These town folk will fall over backward to serve a cute couple like us!”

“I dunno, I felt kinda bad not paying for any of it. Can I take your coat?”

Another nauseating giggle. “Such a gentleman.”

Mabel felt the sudden urge to hide as the door to the Mystery Museum started to open. That was silly, though, wasn’t it? And besides, it was too late.

“Oh, hey Mabel! Pacifica, have you met my sister?”

Pacifica gave Mabel the fakest smile she’d ever laid eyes on. “I’ve caught glimpses, but I don’t think we’ve formally met, no. Pacifica Pleasure.” She held out a hand, but it looked more like she wanted Mabel to kiss it than shake it. Mabel gave it a sideways look for a second before deciding not to do anything.

“Uh, yeah, hi, I’m Mabel. I hear you’re, uh, dating my brother?” So they were just going to pretend the creepy encounter behind the Tent of Telepathy had never happened, were they?

Pacifica let off a high-pitched laugh. Honestly, how often did she do that?! “Yes, Dipper Darlin’ is just so sweet. He took me out to dinner, and since I don’t have a show tonight he offered to bring me back here to watch a movie. I haven’t done something so quaint for years!”

Mabel was hardly paying attention, although she definitely picked up on the word “quaint” and immediately filed the veiled insult under Reasons to Hate Pacifica. No, she was looking at Dipper, who had a big, goofy grin on his face. Well at least someone seemed to have a good night.

It couldn’t last, though. Mabel could see past that purple eyeshadow and Pacifica was _not_ sincere in her affection for Mabel’s twin brother. And that was something she couldn’t let continue.

“You wanna join us, Mabes?” Dipper asked. “We’re gonna watch The Revengers. Pacifica hasn’t even seen it yet!”

Leave it to Dipper to choose a superhero movie for a date night and invite his twin sister along.

“Sure,” Mabel said with a good-natured eye-roll. She knew she couldn’t talk her brother out of at least the rest of this date, so she might as well keep an eye on Pacifica.

“Awesome! Let’s go! Over here, Paz.”

Dipper pulled Pacifica alongside him by the hand, Mabel following behind. Why couldn’t Dipper _see_ what this girl was really like? Maybe Mabel should’ve told him about what happened the night of the psychic show, but the experience felt so surreal that she wasn’t even convinced it had happened. Still, every time Mabel looked at Pacifica all she could see were those crazed eyes…

She shook her head as she settled on the floor in the front of the TV. Pacifica and Dipper had gotten this far; maybe she genuinely cared for Dipper.

Or maybe she was using him for something.

Mabel tried to focus on the movie, but Pacifica sitting in her periphery made it rather hard to put her suspicions to rest.


	8. Chapter 8

Mabel _knew_.

Pacifica could see it in those eyes. Mabel knew that she was impenetrable, and she was silently _mocking_ Pacifica. _You can’t see into me_ , those eyes were saying. _We both know you’re weak_.

Was Dipper in on it too? Sweet, adorable Dipper? Were he and his sister sniggering behind their hands as they lured Pacifica into some kind of trap? Were they trying to strip her of her powers?!

Regardless of whether Dipper knew, Mabel did. Every time she gave Pacifica a sideways glance, Pacifica’s skin grew a little warmer, until a tight-lipped rage was boiling just underneath the surface.

Keep it together, Pacifica. She just had to make it through this date. Through this stupid movie about superheroes. Make it through, then she could get out of here, and plot some kind of scheme to expose Mabel for the monster she really was.

Anybody had to be a monster to resist _Pacifica_.

Except Dipper. He was like a cute little puppy. Pacifica could never do anything to hurt him, not after he’d effectively won her over. For both of their sakes, she hoped Mabel was the only mastermind, and that Dipper wouldn’t get in the way of Pacifica’s justice. Hopefully he’d easily see Mabel as a monster too, and come over onto Pacifica’s side.

As Pacifica stewed, it was surprisingly easy to push back the small voice lingering in her mind. The one that was saying things like, “ _Why is Mabel a monster, again?,” “Dipper won’t just leave his twin for you,”_ and “ _Sides of_ what? _What are you and Mabel supposedly fighting over?”_

No, Pacifica had learned long ago to push back the voices she didn’t want.

She had also learned to resist the urge to strangle somebody, and she put that skill to the test as she sat uncomfortably close to Mabel, so that the girl was constantly in her periphery. Mabel was keeping an eye on her, she knew. Trying to find some weakness, some way to exploit her vulnerability.

Focus on the date. Focus on Dipper. Aww, he was trying to discreetly put his arm around her shoulder. So _cute._ It really was too bad that such a great boy could be twins with…

Pacifica’s eyes darted to the side to glance at Mabel. _Her_.

The movie finally ended, and Pacifica stood up, straightening her skirt. She frowned down at it as she did; Dipper had claimed that her “civilian” clothes were cute, but she wasn’t very comfortable in a skirt that wasn’t starched beyond belief.

“Hey, Pacifica, can we, um, talk for a second?”

Pacifica looked up, startled. Last she’d been paying attention, Dipper had been talking about the movie they’d just seen. Now, he wasn’t in the room, and Mabel was looking expectantly at Pacifica.

“Sure, darling,” Pacifica said sweetly. “What about?”

“D-don’t call me darling,” Mabel replied. “Look, I…”

_I know you can’t see me._

“Dipper calls me suspicious of everyone, but…”

_I know your weakness._

“I don’t…Just…Do you actually like my brother? Are you really doing this because you want to be with him, or is there…Something else?”

Pacifica tilted her head slightly. “Of course I like your brother. He’s helped me have some fun for the first time in years.” For once, it wasn’t a lie, although if it was she could’ve easily made it sound true. Maybe it started as something else, but Dipper had really grown on her the past week. That _something else_ had nothing to do with him anymore.

And everything to do with Mabel.

Who didn’t seem convinced. “Alright…I guess…Listen, Pacifica, I just…” Mabel sighed. “Dipper’s a really innocent guy, and I guess I don’t want him being influenced by the deception that comes from a life of show business. N-not that you’re deceptive,” she hurried to add, although her tone said she clearly thought otherwise, “but I just…Just…Be careful around my brother, okay?”

Pacifica considered calling Mabel’s bluff, but if the girl was going to dance around an accusation then so would Pacifica. She let a beat pass before replying. “Of course, dear, I’d never do anything to hurt Dipper.” It was time to put an end to this. “I’d love to talk more sometime. How about we meet up at my family’s warehouse tomorrow and have a nice discussion about this whole thing? Show business and all.”

Ugh, Pacifica so wished she could see into Mabel’s mind. Her face was saying something along the lines of, _you think I’m stupid enough to fall for that?_ But Pacifica couldn’t be sure. She was just so used to learning everyone’s thoughts whenever she wanted.

“Alright,” Mabel replied carefully. No doubt she was going over ways to turn the situation to her advantage. Pacifica would have to be careful that her own trap wasn’t used against her.

A worthy opponent indeed, Mabel Pines. This was going to be interesting.

“I’m back!” Dipper’s return was accented by a _plop_ as he threw himself onto the couch. “So what did you think of the movie, Paz? Didn’t you just love Steel Man? He’s my _favorite_. And he’s so good with the ladies too.”

Pacifica felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips, and she sat down next to Dipper. “Yeah, he was pretty great. I think Ogre was my favorite though. He was such a little guy but he was really powerful when he transformed.”

Satisfied by this answer, Dipper kept chattering until another voice cut in.

“Mabel, I need—”

The voice stopped, and Pacifica turned to see Stanford Pines towering over her.

“Well, hello!” She said, getting to her feet. “You must be Stanford Pines. It’s a pleasure to meet the owner of such a magical place.”

Stanford scowled back. “What are you doing here?”

Dipper stood up and took Pacifica’s hand in his. “We’re on a date!” He proclaimed. Pacifica smiled up at Stanford, trying to appear like the happiest girl in the world.

Stanford’s scowl deepened. “Thirteen-year-olds shouldn’t be dating,” he said gruffly. “Get her out of my house.”

Pacifica’s smile froze on her face.

“Grunkle Ford!” Dipper complained, “That’s mean! C’mon, Paz, I guess the date is over.”

Pacifica nodded. “That’s alright.”

“I’ll take you home, then. Wanna come, Mabes?”

Pacifica glanced back at Mabel.

“O-oh, no, I’m fine. What did you need me for, Grunkle Ford?”

Mabel followed Stanford out of the room. Pacifica watched her go.

Until tomorrow, then, Mabel. Until tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

Mabel’s feet crunched softly in the snow. If she wasn’t so nervous, she’d more greatly admire the landscape before her. Pacifica’s family warehouse was on a cliff that jutted out from the forest, so that a glittering expanse of white was hedged on all sides by the cliff or the tree line. The sun hadn’t quite set, but was well beneath the treetops, and the moon was shining low in the horizon, giving the scene a strange clash of light. Mabel was just glad it wasn’t technically night yet; it was creepy enough in these long shadows.

Pacifica was nowhere to be seen. Probably inside, then. Mabel took another step forward and then stopped. What was she doing? She may be paranoid, but this was just plain stupid! Pacifica could attack her or something!

But she kept moving.

This was getting eerie. Was she even telling her legs to walk? And yet she kept going, trudging through the snow almost against her own will.

It wasn’t until she stepped through the doorway into the warehouse that she saw she was glowing faintly purple.

“You’re smart,” Pacifica’s voice wafted through the air, but Mabel couldn’t see the girl herself, “but you’re not as impenetrable as you thought, are you?”

A single lightbulb flickered to life. The purple glow pushed Mabel forwards, and the door slammed behind her with an ominous _boom._

A chair underneath the lightbulb swiveled around, revealing Pacifica, the light making her hair shine. She smiled up at Mabel from underneath purple-lidded eyes, stroking a…

Turtle?

Mabel frowned. “I thought it was supposed to be a cat.”

Pacifica rolled her eyes. “You think I’d let one of those disgusting animals get their disgusting hair all over me?”

Mabel wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but she knew one thing for sure: Pacifica had insulted cats in front of a cat-lover.

Things were going to go down tonight.

The turtle disappeared from Pacifica’s arms in a puff of purple smoke as she stood. Mabel tried to step back, but the purple glow around her intensified, and she found she couldn’t move. Pacifica smiled as she struggled.

“Not as impenetrable as you thought, are you?” She repeated. She didn’t seem to realize she had already said that. “Don’t try to struggle, darling, nothing can escape my power.”

“B-but—” Mabel stuttered. “But you’re a fake!”

Pacifica laughed. “You can drop the act, darling. No deception here, not anymore.”

“I-I don’t know what you mean. Let me go!” The more Mabel thrashed against her magical purple bonds, the tighter they felt, like she was being wrapped in cellophane.

Pacifica’s grin widened. “Don’t lie to me,” she said in a tone that didn’t match her smiling face. “I don’t know how you guard your mind against my powers, but neither of us are leaving until I find out. Understood?”

Mabel started to stutter out an answer, but she stopped. The light reached Pacifica’s eyes as the girl stepped forward, and Mabel could now clearly see the glint of madness shining through. “Y-you’re insane! I don’t know anything about mind powers!”

Pacifica grabbed the pendant around her neck, and Mabel suddenly realized it was glowing, the same shade of purple that surrounded Mabel. The cellophane feeling tightened, and Mabel let out a cry of fear as she felt herself lift up off the ground a few inches. “Don’t. Lie. To me,” Pacifica repeated. “I can read. Everyone. Everyone but Gideon, because he also has a—”

She stopped. “I see. Do you have an artifact, Mabel Pines? Do you have some kind of amulet that you use to shield yourself and your brother?”

Mabel was frantically trying to figure out what on earth Pacifica was even talking about. _Guard your mind against my powers. Shield yourself and your brother_.

“S-so, you can read minds with that amulet,” Mabel said slowly. “But you can’t read mine. O-or Dipper’s?”

“Yes, yes,” Pacifica said, waving a dismissive hands. “So you have an amulet, then? Is that how you do it?”

 _You are dealing with an insane person_ , said a firm voice in Mabel’s mind. Yeah, an insane person that could hurt her at any moment. _For once your paranoia was completely accurate. Be careful._

So, how did one negotiate with an insane person?

Mabel had no idea.

She tried to take a deep breath, but that just served to add to her panic: her magical bonds made it hard to fully expand her lungs. Forcing herself not to hyperventilate, Mabel spoke slowly and clearly. “Pacifica,” she said, “I don’t know why you can’t read my mind. I didn’t know you could read minds in the first place. So—”

“ _Liar!_ ” As Pacifica’s grip tightened on her purple amulet, Mabel rose a little further into the air.

_Don’t look down don’t look down don’t look down…_

Mabel wasn’t afraid of heights, but dangling a few feet in the air by nothing but a purple aura did wonders to one’s fears.

“You know exactly why. You’re shielding yourself so I couldn’t find out your true plans, aren’t you? You’re planning something! If you don’t have your own amulet, maybe you’re trying to steal mine!” Another few inches up. “You’re trying to rob me of my powers, _aren’t you_?”

Pacifica’s eyes were like nothing Mabel had ever seen. And in that moment, Mabel realized what Pacifica had been hiding. Behind all those smiles, those giggles, that dazzling appearance…

Pacifica was hiding insanity.

Was it that amulet? Were those powers corrupting her from the inside out? Seeing into everyone’s mind all the time seemed like it could do that to a person.

All Mabel knew for sure was that she was thoroughly spooked.

“I’m right, _aren’t I._ You’re trying to _steal my powers_.”

“N-no!”

Wrong move.

“ _Stop. Lying!_ You lie to _me_ , you lie to _Dipper!_ ” With each emphasized word, the invisible force around Mabel tightened slightly. Pacifica glared up at her prey. “He has no idea, does he? Poor, innocent Dipper, doesn’t even know his sister is a power-stealing maniac. No…Not little Dipper…” As she spoke, her gaze lowered until she seemed to be talking to herself. “Cute little Dipper…He could never be a part of this…”

Should Mabel play the bad guy? Play to Pacifica’s fantasies? If only her parents had let her watch Criminal Minds. Too young to watch TV-14 shows, maybe, but apparently not too young to be attacked by a psycho.

“Of course Dipper doesn’t know anything,” Mabel said. That was at least one truth both she and Pacifica agreed on. “Dipper would never do anything to hurt you. A-and neither would I! I hardly even know you. I promise, Pacifica, I’m not trying to steal—”

The air was knocked out of Mabel’s lungs by an unseen blow, and she suddenly found she could hardly breathe. Her instinct to hyperventilate came back with full force, and as she struggled, gasping for breath, floating in the air, Pacifica sighed and shook her head as if dealing with an ignorant child.

“I see you want to do this the hard way, then. Stubborn to the last, aren’t you, Mabel?”

The force around Mabel’s throat loosened until she could breathe again, and as she regained her breath she saw something else glow purple in her periphery.

A large kitchen knife floated into the air, held aloft by Pacifica’s amulet.

_Full panic mode: Activated._

The knife drew closer, and Mabel felt tears on her cheeks without remembering them forming in her eyes. Pacifica’s voice was deadly calm as she said, “Tell me how you shield your mind against me.”

“I don’t know!”

“Liar. _Tell me now._ ”

“Please! I don’t—”

“ _Liar!_ ” The knife was almost to Mabel’s throat. “ _How do you do it?!”_

_“I don’t know!”_

_“Stop lying!”_

“ _PLEASE!”_

Mabel felt the tip of the knife press onto her collarbone.

**_“Pacifica, STOP!”_ **

The knife froze.

As Pacifica turned, the grip on Mabel loosened enough so she could turn her head too.

Dipper stood atop a messy pile of antique chairs and tables. An open window behind him bathed him in moonlight as he surveyed the scene before him.

“Dipper!” Pacifica cried happily. The knife lost its purple glow and clattered to the ground. “How good of you to join us! I’ve exposed her, Dipper, it’s okay!”

Dipper hopped down from his pile, and his face came into the yellow light of the warehouse. It looked more worried and scared than Mabel had ever seen it.

She wondered what her face looked like.

“Pacifica, wh-what’s going on?! Are you attacking m-my sister?”

Mabel wasn’t sure she had ever heard Dipper stutter before. That was her thing.

“Dipper, be care—” Mabel choked off at a gesture from Pacifica.

“Dipper, your sister has been deceiving you,” Pacifica said. Her voice was sickly sweet, and Mabel realized that she actually cared for Dipper. In some sort of sick, twisted way. “She’s blocked your mind off from me, but it’s okay, I know it’s not your fault. She’s trying to steal my powers, Dipper, but I’ve got her, I’ll put a stop to it!”

Dipper might be a trusting guy, but even he could see the mad glint in Pacifica’s eyes, Mabel knew. Anyone could. “Pacifica...” He said slowly. “Pacifica, put my sister down.”

Pacifica blinked. “No, you don’t understand. I’m saving you, Dipper, I’m saving both of us! As soon as I find out how Mabel is shielding you two I’ll put a stop to her once and for all!”

Mabel didn’t like the sound of that.

Dipper took a cautious step forward. “Pacifica, please, put Mabel down and we’ll talk about this.” His voice shook slightly.

Pacifica’s face started to fall, and Mabel wanted to yell at Dipper to play along, but she could hardly get enough air, much less shout. “I thought you might take her side. Please, Dipper, you have to understand, I don’t blame you. This is all Mabel’s fault.”

“What’s Mabel’s fault?” Dipper demanded. “What sides? All I see is you using magic to _attack_ my _sister_!”

His eyes flicked down to Pacifica’s amulet, and Mabel could see the gears turning in his mind. How to get the amulet...

Pacifica’s grip on the amulet lessened as Dipper took another step forward, and Mabel felt herself fall slightly. Once she got over the initial panic, she realized she could get safely lowered down if Pacifica would just relax.

She hoped that Dipper noticed it too.

“Dipper, can’t you see? She’s evil; she’s trying to steal my powers!”

Dipper’s eyes flared, and he looked like he was about to yell again, but stopped when he saw Mabel frantically shaking her head. He took a deep breath and another step forward. “I don’t think that’s what’s going on,” he said calmly, “but we can talk about it, okay?”

Mabel felt herself slip again. She tried to move into a position where she could fall the last two feet or so without getting hurt, but she didn’t exactly know what position that was.

“Dipper, you like me, right? You have to like me more than Mabel,” Pacifica said, her voice starting to sound like a scared little girl.

“Of course, Pacifica,” Dipper said. Mabel winced; he was a horrible liar. But it seemed to be working. “Of course I like you. But I like—” He stopped. “I like you,” he repeated. Phew. If he had said “But I like Mabel too,” Pacifica would’ve probably been put on her guard again.

Dipper reached his hand out for Pacifica’s, and she looked back and forth between him and his hand. Her fingers rubbed her amulet tenderly, and after a tantalizing moment, she let go and took Dipper’s hand.

Mabel fell, landing on her feet. After giving herself a second for her legs to absorb the shock, she raced forward, tackling Pacifica from the side and wrenching her hand out of Dipper’s. Dipper jumped back as Mabel wrestled Pacifica to the ground, groping at her neck for the amulet.

“ _Get off me! Let go!”_ Pacifica screeched. _“You can’t have my powers!”_

Mabel felt her fingers clasp something smooth, and she immediately pulled. The amulet came off with the sound of tearing fabric, and Mabel fell back with the force of her pull.

Pacifica let out an inhuman scream as the amulet left her, and she reached forward, but Mabel had already gotten to her feet and jumped away.

She raised the amulet above her head to throw it to the ground and smash it.

**_“NO!”_ **

Mabel threw her hand down, waiting for the welcome sound of shattering glass.

Nothing.

Mabel looked up, startled. The amulet was floating above her head, glowing…

Blue?

Pacifica started laughing, getting to her feet and rushing towards Mabel.

She was stopped in her tracks by an identical blue glow.

Pacifica’s eyes widened, and she looked around wildly for a second before yelling, “ _Gideon!_ ”

A figure stepped out from behind a stack of boxes. White hair framed a pale face, which was illuminated in the blue glow coming from his amulet, fastened around his neck just like Pacifica’s.

The purple amulet floated across the room until it landed in his hand. “Somebody went crazy again,” he said to Pacifica in a disapproving tone. “Do you need a time-out?”

Pacifica let out a frustrated growl, and Mabel noticed her mascara had started to run with tears of…something. Pure madness, Mabel supposed.

“Who are you?” Dipper asked.

“Get out of here,” the boy—Gideon—replied. “I’ll take care of Miss Pleasure here.”

When neither Mabel nor Dipper made a move to leave, he snapped, “Get out of here, unless you want her to attack you again!”

This spurred them on, and, grasping each other’s hands just in case, the twins ran from the warehouse.

“Gideon,” Mabel heard Pacifica whine, “Their minds are shielded, and I was about to find out how!”

“No, you weren’t. You should’ve just come to me, Pacifica, because while you’ve been performing around the country, I’ve been solving mysteries.”

Mabel slowed, trying to hear more, but she was pulled along by Dipper, and before she knew it they were racing through the forest back to the town of Gravity Rises below.


	10. Chapter 10

Pacifica was throwing a tantrum.

Gideon sealed off the warehouse by levitating heavy things in front of windows and the door, and he held Pacifica’s amulet firmly in his grasp as she raved, pushing her back whenever she tried to grab it. He’d give it back once she’d calmed down.

He looked down at her from his throne of wooden crates with a strange sense of apathy. Using her amulet nonstop ever since she was a child had broken Pacifica beyond repair. Had it done anything similar to him?

Gideon leaned back and closed his eyes. No. If anything had broken him, it hadn’t been his amulet. That was what kept him sane.

It was an hour or so before Pacifica stopped screaming at Gideon, the walls, the air, throwing things, and sobbing in a ball in the middle of the floor. He opened his eyes when he realized she hadn’t made any noise for a good three minutes. Standing up, he looked down to see Pacifica sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring out at nothing.

Gideon wondered if he should go join her. Give her a chance to talk about it. Not that he cared or anything.

Sighing, he jumped lithely from his ledge and landed next to Pacifica with a flash of blue. She didn’t even glance up at him as he settled down next to her, keeping his distance, of course.

She didn’t say anything for a while, so when she did start talking, it startled him a bit.

“I’m broken, aren’t I?”

He wondered if he should say something sympathetic.

“Yep.”

Well, never mind, then.

“Do you think there’s any way to fix me?” She didn’t meet his eyes.

“Probably not.”

“Are you broken?”

A beat passed.

“Maybe.”

She nodded, silent for a few moments.

“If I can’t get fixed, will you help me?”

Gideon frowned. “With what?”

“With revenge.” She finally turned to face him, and her eyes pled with him. He could see that nothing would satisfy her madness until she tried to get revenge on the Pines twins for whatever she thought they did to her.

“Sure,” Gideon agreed. He’d make sure no one really got hurt. It’d relieve his boredom, to say the least.

“Thanks.” She turned away again and resumed staring at nothing.

Gideon waited a minute or two before quietly getting up and leaving her alone in the warehouse.

~~~~~

Mabel and Dipper didn’t stop running until they made it back to the Mystery Museum. Well, they did stop, since neither of them were all that fit, but those stops were for a few moments of breathing heavily before starting back up again.

Finally, they collapsed on the porch behind the Mystery Shack, chests rising and falling as they sat down on the old couch outside. They sat there for a few minutes, catching their breath, until Dipper finally spoke.

“What…Just happened?”

Mabel opened her mouth to reply, but found the second she tried to form words she was suddenly holding back tears.

“I…I don’t…”

And suddenly she was crying.

She still hadn’t processed exactly what had happened. All she knew was that she’d been attacked and almost seriously hurt, and it was too much for her to handle. She curled up in Dipper’s arms and sobbed until her nose and eyes were both running freely into his sleeve. She didn’t know how Dipper felt about her outburst, and she honestly didn’t much care.

She had almost been _killed._

“I-it’s okay, Mabel,” Dipper said. “I’ve…I’ve got you.”

He did have her. They were safe.

And so Mabel continued to cry.

 

~~~End of Episode Two~~~


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